MSU coach Dan Mullen will compete in the C Spire Wireless Pro-Am golf event on Thursday, March 21, at Fallen Oak in Biloxi.

Photo Courtesy of hailstate.com

BILOXI, Miss. - Dan Mullen, head football coach at Mississippi State University, will headline a group of 154 community leaders, business executives and elected officials playing in the C Spire Wireless Pro-Am golf event on Thursday, March 21 at Fallen Oak in Biloxi.

Mullen and other amateur golfers will play alongside 52 professional golfers from the PGA TOUR's Champions Tour participating in the 2013 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic next week. The tournament, now in its fourth year with a $1.6 million purse, will feature six World Golf Hall of Famers and 18 PGA TOUR major championship winners, led by defending champion Fred Couples.

Mullen, now in his fourth season as the Bulldogs head football coach, has led the school to three straight post-season bowl appearances and a return to college gridiron respectability. "I'm looking forward to visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast and playing in this tournament with some of the world's best golfers," Mullen said. "The Coast is such an important part of our state and to be able to assist with an event that has such a significant economic impact is important to all of us at Mississippi State University."

C Spire Wireless is one of 16 consortium partners and title sponsor of the tournament's Pro-Am event on Thursday, March 21. "We're excited about Dan participating in the C Spire Wireless Pro-Am and we look forward to a great day of golf as we continue to build the reputation of this first class tournament, which is a major contributor to the economic health of the Mississippi Gulf Coast," said Jim Richmond, vice president of Corporate Communications for C Spire Wireless. "With some of the world's best Champions Tour golfers coming to our state and playing in this event, we know it will have a positive impact on the region's economy."

The tournament, scheduled for March 21-24, generated over $15million in direct economic impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2012, according to a study conducted by the University of Southern Mississippi's College of Business. The three-day tournament is scheduled to air on the Golf Channel once again this year, exposing the Mississippi Gulf Coast and its attractions to a live national audience.

For more information or tickets to the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, go to www.2013mgrc.com. Children 15 and under accompanied by an adult receive free admission. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

About C Spire WirelessC Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications and technology services company passionately committed to helping customers by personalizing wireless services designed just for them. The company is the first wireless provider in the U.S. to personalize customers' experience by offering apps that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards for using their phone in new ways - all with seamless ease and at amazingly fast speeds. This news release and other announcements are available at http://www.cspire.com/news/. For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.

About The Champions Tour Collectively, the Champions Tour has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game with many of its 30 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events and numerous other major championship winners among its members. The Champions Tour is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. Points earned in 26 official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2013 will determine the Charles Schwab Cup champion, the season-long competition designed to recognize the Champions Tour's leading player. The Champions Tour's primary purpose is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. In 2012, tournaments on all five Tours (PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, PGA TOUR Canada) generated more than $122 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 billion. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Mike Stevens is President of the Champions Tour. The PGA TOUR's website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Follow the Champions Tour at Facebook.com/Champions Tour and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.